Best states for a fire inspector

Q: What is the best state for fire inspectors?

The best state to be a fire inspector is Mississippi based on fire inspector salaries and job opportunities.

Q: What is the highest paying state for fire inspectors?

The highest paying state for fire inspectors is Hawaii based on Zippia’s salary database.

Q: What is the worst state for fire inspectors?

The worst state for fire inspectors is District of Columbia, due to a combination of low salaries and few job opportunities.

Rank 1 - 10
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Not all states present equal opportunity for employees, and when it comes to fire inspector jobs, it's no different. We know how hard job search can be, and in order to make your life a little easier, we have the information you need in order to determine where you might want to start your job search. Our research found that Mississippi is the best state for fire inspectors, while Alaska and West Virginia are ranked highest in terms of median salary. Mississippi has a median salary of $66,530 and Alaska has the highest median salary among all 50 states for fire inspectors.

To do that, we looked at the most recent data we have available for the following criteria -- average annual wages, and availability of jobs for fire inspectors.We found that Mississippi is the best state for fire inspector jobs, whereas District of Columbia is the worst.

10 best states for fire inspectors in 2026

1. Mississippi
Total fire inspector jobs: 89
Average annual salary: $66,530
Lowest 10 percent earn: $44,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $100,000
Location Quotient:
1.22
Fire inspector jobs in Mississippi
2. Utah
Total fire inspector jobs: 193
Average annual salary: $64,715
Lowest 10 percent earn: $44,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $95,000
Location Quotient:
1.76
Fire inspector jobs in Utah
3. West Virginia
Total fire inspector jobs: 49
Average annual salary: $68,088
Lowest 10 percent earn: $44,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $103,000
Location Quotient:
0.94
Fire inspector jobs in West Virginia
4. North Dakota
Total fire inspector jobs: 34
Average annual salary: $67,181
Lowest 10 percent earn: $48,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $93,000
Location Quotient:
1.07
Fire inspector jobs in North Dakota
5. South Carolina
Total fire inspector jobs: 161
Average annual salary: $64,818
Lowest 10 percent earn: $42,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $98,000
Location Quotient:
1.05
Fire inspector jobs in South Carolina
6. Alaska
Total fire inspector jobs: 30
Average annual salary: $72,261
Lowest 10 percent earn: $60,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $86,000
Location Quotient:
1.05
Fire inspector jobs in Alaska
7. Kentucky
Total fire inspector jobs: 117
Average annual salary: $64,576
Lowest 10 percent earn: $43,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $96,000
Location Quotient:
0.93
Fire inspector jobs in Kentucky
8. Ohio
Total fire inspector jobs: 302
Average annual salary: $67,355
Lowest 10 percent earn: $44,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $100,000
Location Quotient:
0.86
Fire inspector jobs in Ohio
9. Pennsylvania
Total fire inspector jobs: 401
Average annual salary: $61,707
Lowest 10 percent earn: $40,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $93,000
Location Quotient:
1.01
Fire inspector jobs in Pennsylvania
10. California
Total fire inspector jobs: 1,189
Average annual salary: $61,383
Lowest 10 percent earn: $40,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $93,000
Location Quotient:
1.19
Fire inspector jobs in California

Fire inspector jobsNear Columbus, OH

How Zippia determines the best states to be a fire inspector

You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.

Detailed list of the best states for a fire inspector

Rank	State	Average salary	Lowest 10% earn	Population	Job count
1	Mississippi	$66,530	$44,000	2,984,100	89
2	Utah	$64,715	$44,000	3,101,833	193
3	West Virginia	$68,088	$44,000	1,815,857	49
4	North Dakota	$67,181	$48,000	755,393	34
5	South Carolina	$64,818	$42,000	5,024,369	161
6	Alaska	$72,261	$60,000	739,795	30
7	Kentucky	$64,576	$43,000	4,454,189	117
8	Ohio	$67,355	$44,000	11,658,609	302
9	Pennsylvania	$61,707	$40,000	12,805,537	401
10	California	$61,383	$40,000	39,536,653	1,189
11	Indiana	$56,257	$37,000	6,666,818	251
12	Nebraska	$65,384	$45,000	1,920,076	56
13	New Mexico	$53,965	$36,000	2,088,070	126
14	Missouri	$65,477	$44,000	6,113,532	143
15	Virginia	$57,736	$37,000	8,470,020	351
16	Wyoming	$52,652	$36,000	579,315	55
17	Colorado	$54,507	$37,000	5,607,154	300
18	Michigan	$57,548	$38,000	9,962,311	235
19	Maine	$52,040	$37,000	1,335,907	60
20	North Carolina	$58,066	$37,000	10,273,419	290
21	Alabama	$54,569	$36,000	4,874,747	148
22	Wisconsin	$56,491	$38,000	5,795,483	168
23	Arizona	$52,739	$35,000	7,016,270	252
24	Oregon	$54,167	$36,000	4,142,776	152
25	Tennessee	$53,767	$35,000	6,715,984	182
26	Minnesota	$55,969	$39,000	5,576,606	191
27	Arkansas	$52,767	$35,000	3,004,279	83
28	Idaho	$42,855	$29,000	1,716,943	178
29	New York	$52,812	$35,000	19,849,399	396
30	Washington	$52,639	$35,000	7,405,743	217
31	Florida	$44,947	$28,000	20,984,400	605
32	Georgia	$42,754	$28,000	10,429,379	414
33	Texas	$45,300	$29,000	28,304,596	616
34	Oklahoma	$45,561	$30,000	3,930,864	76
35	Nevada	$37,544	$24,000	2,998,039	108
36	Iowa	$42,785	$29,000	3,145,711	96
37	New Jersey	$48,038	$31,000	9,005,644	163
38	New Hampshire	$38,623	$26,000	1,342,795	72
39	Vermont	$36,999	$26,000	623,657	38
40	Montana	$35,732	$25,000	1,050,493	107
41	Illinois	$44,001	$29,000	12,802,023	238
42	Maryland	$40,858	$26,000	6,052,177	209
43	Hawaii	$35,615	$29,000	1,427,538	30
44	Kansas	$41,043	$28,000	2,913,123	66
45	Connecticut	$40,417	$27,000	3,588,184	98
46	South Dakota	$36,171	$25,000	869,666	33
47	Rhode Island	$40,165	$27,000	1,059,639	25
48	Delaware	$41,141	$27,000	961,939	23
49	Massachusetts	$39,426	$27,000	6,859,819	257
50	Louisiana	$36,575	$24,000	4,684,333	87
51	District of Columbia	$40,863	$26,000	693,972	33

Highest paying states for fire inspectors

Rank	State	Avg. Fire Inspector Salary
1	Mississippi	$66,530
2	Utah	$64,715
3	West Virginia	$68,088
4	North Dakota	$67,181
5	South Carolina	$64,818
6	Alaska	$72,261
7	Kentucky	$64,576
8	Ohio	$67,355
9	Pennsylvania	$61,707
10	California	$61,383
11	Indiana	$56,257
12	Nebraska	$65,384
13	New Mexico	$53,965
14	Missouri	$65,477
15	Virginia	$57,736
16	Wyoming	$52,652
17	Colorado	$54,507
18	Michigan	$57,548
19	Maine	$52,040
20	North Carolina	$58,066
21	Alabama	$54,569
22	Wisconsin	$56,491
23	Arizona	$52,739
24	Oregon	$54,167
25	Tennessee	$53,767
26	Minnesota	$55,969
27	Arkansas	$52,767
28	Idaho	$42,855
29	New York	$52,812
30	Washington	$52,639
31	Florida	$44,947
32	Georgia	$42,754
33	Texas	$45,300
34	Oklahoma	$45,561
35	Nevada	$37,544
36	Iowa	$42,785
37	New Jersey	$48,038
38	New Hampshire	$38,623
39	Vermont	$36,999
40	Montana	$35,732
41	Illinois	$44,001
42	Maryland	$40,858
43	Hawaii	$35,615
44	Kansas	$41,043
45	Connecticut	$40,417
46	South Dakota	$36,171
47	Rhode Island	$40,165
48	Delaware	$41,141
49	Massachusetts	$39,426
50	Louisiana	$36,575
51	District of Columbia	$40,863

Best states for a fire inspector

10 best states for fire inspectors in 2026

1. Mississippi

2. Utah

3. West Virginia

4. North Dakota

5. South Carolina

6. Alaska

7. Kentucky

8. Ohio

9. Pennsylvania

10. California

Fire inspector jobsNear Columbus, OH

How Zippia determines the best states to be a fire inspector

Detailed list of the best states for a fire inspector

Highest paying states for fire inspectors

Fire inspector best states FAQs

What is the best state for fire inspectors?

What is the highest paying state for fire inspectors?

What is the worst state for fire inspectors?

Search for fire inspector jobs

Total fire inspector jobs:	89
Average annual salary:	$66,530
Lowest 10 percent earn:	$44,000
Highest 10 percent earn:	$100,000
Location Quotient:	1.22